Wolves v Tottenham Hotspur, UEFA Cup Final 1st Leg, 3rd May 1972

Описание: Extended highlights, with commentary provided by David Coleman, of the UEFA Cup Final 1st Leg played at Molineux on Wednesday 3rd May 1972.

For both Wolves and Spurs the lead up to the final of the 1971-72 UEFA Cup proved to be something of an anti-climax. Although it was the first ever all-British final in a European cup competition, the familiarity between both sides built up through frequent domestic competition helped fuel a sense of slight disappointment.

The nature of both teams progression to the final was also a contributory factor; Wolves had travelled far and wide in Europe (including a trip behind the Iron Curtain to play Carl Zeiss Jena) as had Spurs. For Tottenham, after the glamour of Milan in the Semi-final, Wolverhampton on a dank Wednesday evening represented a slightly underwhelming contrast! For Wolves, their UEFA Cup run had thrilled their supporters (not always reflected in Molineux attendances, for some reason) but the club felt a sense of grievance that their exploits hadn't gained the national recognition that they felt they deserved and the final itself also generated relatively little interest. Anti-climax there might have been, but this shouldn't detract from the achievement of both clubs from reaching the final. Spurs' two-legged Semi-final defeat of AC Milan was particularly noteworthy, as was Wolves' conquest of Juventus at the Quarter-final stage - a second leg home victory followed a highly creditable 1-1 draw in Turin.

In reaching the final, Wolves were aided considerably through Derek Dougan's impressive contribution of 9 goals. The 1971-72 season was the first full season of the potent Derek Dougan and John Richards strike partnership that plundered over 90 goals between them in 1971-72 and the following season - a total that was helped immeasureably by the creative brilliance of winger Dave Wagstaffe.

Bill Nicholson's Spurs possessed players of international ability throughout all areas, from goalkeeper Pat Jennings through to forward Martin Chivers. Both these players, in fact, would ultimately prove to be the difference between two evenly-matched teams over two evenly-fought matches.

Original footage filmed by the BBC and broadcast on BBC1's 'Sportsnight with Coleman' programme.

Approximate time of goals on YouTube footage:

45:57 Wolves 0 Spurs 1 (Martin Chivers)

53:28 Wolves 1 Spurs 1 (Jim McCalliog)

1:05:40 Wolves 1 Spurs 2 (Martin Chivers)